Eric Benet is a contempory RB singer with mild hip-hop and strong adult contemporary influences. As a teenager, Benet was in a vocal group called Benet with his sister and cousin. The group signed with Capitol and released an eponymous album in 1992 that went ignored.
Eric went out as a solo artist shortly afterward, signing to Warner Bros.and releasing his debut albumTrue to Myself, in the fall of 1996. A Day in the Life follwed in 1999 ; its first single, a cover of Toto's "Georgy Porgy", was a moderate radio hit, but the album's second single "Spend My Life With You " (featuring Tamia ) was a chart smash.
"Spend My Life With You" went to number one on the RB charts, was certified gold, was nominated for a 2000 Grammy Award for "Best RB Perfomance by a Duo or Group, " Benet's popularity was on the rise;
A Day In The Life went on to earn a Soul Train Music Award for "Best RB/Soul Album Male. " During this time, Benet headed into the studio to work on Earth, Wind and Fire's 30'th anniversary CD.
He and actress Halle Berry also became an item ( the couple married in January 2001 ).
Aside from music, Benet caught the acting bug. He had a recurring role on WB's For Your Love and made his feature film debut in Mariah Carey's flashy showbiz drama, Glitter, in 2001. Berry and Benet separated in 2004, a year before the singer released his third album, Hurricane.
